Overwhelm Operating Scan

A short diagnostic to help leaders reduce unnecessary workload and decision fatigue.

What this is

Many leaders feel overwhelmed not because the work is too hard, but because too much of it requires constant judgment.

Small decisions pile up.

Priorities stay implicit.

Rules are assumed instead of stated.

The Overwhelm Operating Scan is a short diagnostic designed to help you identify where unclear priorities, missing constraints, and repeated judgment calls are draining your time and attention.

You may find this useful if

  • Your days feel full but progress feels slow

  • You are constantly triaging instead of thinking ahead

  • Decisions keep resurfacing instead of sticking

  • Work expands to fill all available time

  • You end the week tired without a clear sense of impact

What you get

  • A way to surface where decision fatigue is coming from

  • Prompts to identify missing or implicit rules

  • Clarity on what should be decided once versus repeatedly

  • A starting point for reducing unnecessary load

What this is not

This is not a productivity hack.

It is not about working harder or faster.

It is not a to-do list.

How to use it

Answer the questions honestly based on how your work actually functions today.

The goal is not optimization.

The goal is clarity.

Once you can see where energy is leaking, small structural changes often have outsized effects.

If you want help applying this across your leadership team, you can learn more about on my programs page here.